Hokkien Pork Noodle Soup

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Hokkien Pork Noodle Soup

Hokkien Pork Noodle Soup is for all noodle lovers. Enjoy two types of noodles with mince, greens, shrimp chips and minced garlic all in one!

Prep Time1

Cook Time2

Chicken and Pork Stock Cooking Time3

Total Time6

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Fujian, Hokkien

Servings:

Calories: 1346kcal

Author: Jeannette

Equipment

Sieve
flat ladle (see shrimp chip ingredients image)
paper towels

Ingredients

For The Broth

8 L (33.8 US cup) chicken and pork stock
30 g / 0.07 lb ginger (lightly smashed until juices release)
80 g / 0.17 lb rock sugar (or to taste)
2 1/2 tbsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
8 1/2 tbsp fish sauce

For The Toppings

1 kg / 2.2 lb pork mince
1 kg / 2.2 lb pork spare ribs
500 g / 1.1 lb pork fat
water (for cooking the mince)

For The Noodles

2 packet Hokkien noodles (we get it from Asian grocery stores)
2 packet Chinese rice noodles (a.k.a. mei fun; we get it from Asian grocery stores)
water (for cooking the noodles)

For The Garlic Sauce

4 bulbs garlic (or to preference)
1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
4 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
1/2 US cup vinegar

For The Garnish

choy sum
garlic chives
coriander
spring onions/scallions
bean sprouts
water (for cooking the choy sum)

For The Shrimp Chips

1 kg / 2.2 lb school prawns
700 ml / 3 US cup water
500 g /1.1 lb fry powder mix
cooking oil (for frying)

Instructions

Soak the rice noodles for 10 minutes in cool water, then let it drip dry in a colander as you work on the other steps.
Season the stock with the rock sugar, salt, fish sauce, ginger and chicken bouillon powder on a low simmer. Add the spare ribs in and keep it at a low simmer as you work on the other steps. The ribs will need 15-20 minutes to cook.
Pro Tip: Skim off any floating oil and scum to keep the broth clear.
Cut the pork fat into 1cm cubes and put them in a pan. Turn the heat to medium and let them fry for 10 minutes or until golden brown. If you find that they're spitting too rapidly, turn the heat down to low.
When golden and reduced in size, scoop just the fried cubes into a bowl or serving dish. Discard the remaining oil or keep it in a container to use as lard for future recipes.
After 15-20 minutes of cooking, take the spare ribs out and cut them into chunks. How large or small you cut them will depend on where the bones are. Leave them in a serving dish for later.
Finely chop the garlic and combine it in a bowl with the sugar, salt and vinegar. Set aside to use as a topping.
Combine the fried powder mix in a bowl with the water.
Use your hands to gently squeeze out the bubbles and trapped flour. Keep mixing until the batter is smooth enough to drip off chopsticks slowly but easily. Let it rest as you prep the prawns.
Use scissors to cut off the tail and head of the school prawns. Keep them in a bowl close to the frying area.
Pour enough oil into a pot to cover each shrimp chip when submerged completely. Turn the heat up to high. When the oil has reached a high temperature, put the empty ladles in to heat up until hot. This will stop the batter from sticking to the metal.
Note: If you're using a saucepan instead, simply pour 3 tbsp oil to coat the surface of the saucepan.
When the pot's oil is hot, pour 1 tbsp of the batter into the ladle and rotate it until it covers the surface. Add 2-3 prawns on top, then submerge it into the oil. After 20 seconds, give the ladle a shake until the chip floats off.
Note: If the shrimp chip doesn't come off, use chopsticks or a spoon to scoop it out. This generally happens when the empty ladle isn't hot enough to start with.
When golden, take the chip out and place it on a tray lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Repeat the cooking for all the batter and prawns.
Divide the choy sum into 10cm (4") segments. Optional: You can use a small knife to peel back the tough outer layer on the stems.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the choy sum in to cook for 5 minutes or until al dente. Pour the contents into a colander to drip dry.
Fill up a pot with water and bring it to a boil. When boiled, use a spoon to scoop 2-3 tbsp of the mince into a sieve. Dip the sieve into the boiling water and stir the pork using the spoon for 3 minutes or until just cooked.
Lift the sieve up to release all the liquid, then transfer the cooked meat into a bowl. Repeat until all the mince is cooked.
You can discard the mince water or keep it for future stocks. We like to add it back into the simmering soup.
Optional: To remove the impurities, layer a few paper towels on top of each other and hold them above a large empty bowl. Pour one ladle of the broth through the paper towels. You'll find the impurities stay on the paper while the liquid runs into the bowl.
Pro Tip: When removing the scum, it helps to have another set of hands to do the ladling while another holds the paper.
To serve, bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook separate servings of the mei fun and Hokkien noodles together for 20 seconds until al dente.
Note: If you're cooking all the noodles at once, cook each type separately as they will both have different cooking times.
Assemble your bowl with the noodles, pork toppings and a few ladles of hot soup. Garnish with the herbs, choy sum, fried fat cubes and garlic sauce.
Enjoy hot as is!

Notes

Make each serving to go. Once cooked, the noodles will get soft and potentially soggy. To enjoy it fresh, cook each serving as you're about to eat.
Use a fattier mince. Doing so keeps the meat juicy.
Avoid leaving the spare ribs in the broth for too long. If it's kept in there for an extended amount of time, it might start to fall apart.
We use rock sugar as a sweetener, but you can use regular sugar if that's what you have on hand.
Before adding the ginger, give it a light smash to bring out its juices.
We sometimes also get pork collar/neck fillet to boil until cooked before slicing into thin pieces as a topping.
This recipe uses two different types of noodles - Hokkien and mei fun - but if you prefer just one, then use the one you like.
Look for squiggly and dry Chinese mei fun, not smooth Vietnamese bún.
The garlic sauce will last a few days if refrigerated. But on the second-third day, you'll notice the garlic will turn a teal color. Don't be alarmed - it has to do with the chemical reaction from the acid in the vinegar and is safe to eat.
You can use all of the herb choices or just the ones you like. Make sure to give each a thorough wash to rid them of impurities.
The shrimp chips are entirely optional. Aunty recommends using a fry powder mix that you can add water to turn into a batter. We get it from Asian grocery stores.
When making the shrimp chips, we use a special type of ladle that's flat and thin. They can be found in Asian supermarkets, but if you can't find any then simply use a small saucepan and pour thee batter the way you would pancakes.

Nutrition